“Not much. This could be one of the most important decisions we ever make and I’m still not sure what to do.” They took off together and Gabriel switched to telepathic communication for the rest of their conversation.One of the databases I managed to salvage from the ships was the archive of a popular news feed. I found numerous articles about prison reform and Natalie’s name was in most of them.
Raphael looked at him as they soared through the sky. The wind whipped his hair around his face, but his orange eyes communicated curiosity.Learn anything interesting?
Her job is real, but that doesn’t mean her motivations are pure. I can’t help wondering what she gets out of all of this.
Raphael nodded and they lapsed into contemplative silence.
They arrived a few minutes later and one of the guards escorted them to the lodge, the social center of the feline village. Zion had an office on the upper level of the A-framed building.
“Are you ready for this?” Raphael glanced back at Gabriel as they climbed the twisting staircase.
“Not even close,” Gabriel muttered just loud enough for his brother to hear.
Gabriel’s conflict with Zion was old and bitter. The broken alliance was just the most recent chapter. Gabriel knew Zion hadn’t chosen his role during their captivity, but it still abraded that he’d hunted his own.
Zion sat at the head of a rustic table. Kane and Diego, two of his guardians, sat on either side of the pride leader. The guardians were large and muscular, but Zion was massive. Piercing golden eyes dominated his rugged features as he waited for the raptor shifters to take their seats.
“I’m only mildly interested in this conversation, so get to the point,” Zion said gruffly.
“Earth made contact with us last night,” Raphael told him. “They sent a female named Natalie Morgan.”
“That prison reform bitch?” Diego flared. He was obviously not a fan.
“You know her?” Gabriel asked. If the cats could confirm the validity of her claims or reveal a hidden agenda, this decision would be much easier to make.
“I knowofher,” Diego explained. “Two of my brothers worked for Corrections. One was a guard, the other a warden. Natalie Morgan is a bit too touchy-feely for me, but she’s dedicated to the cause.”
“Can you expound on that?” Raphael prompted. “We had never heard of her before.”
“She’s on a mission to change how prisons operate,” Diego told them. “She thinks the current system needs to be abandoned. She insists that it never worked and it never will.”
“So, what’s her alternative?” Zion asked his lieutenant.
“She has proposed all sorts of things,” Diego responded. “If she’s here, I presume it has something to do with exiling criminals rather than keeping them on Earth.”
Kane shook his head as his features twisted with displeasure. “That’s not even a new idea. Countries have been exiling prisoners for centuries. Look at colonial America or Botany Bay in Australia.”
“What does any of this have to do with us?” Zion wanted to know.
“She’s behind the spy bots I warned you about,” Raphael announced. “As you guessed, the company or companies she represents are thinking of patterning a group of prisons after Rydaria.”
“Three of the prisons are scheduled to be built on Rydaria and I don’t think there is any way we can stop it,” Gabriel warned.
“It’s a big planet.” Zion rested his forearms on the table and fisted his hands. “Why should I care if there is a prison thousands of miles from here? I presume the inmates are not going to be given shuttles. Even your skimmers can only travel a hundred miles before recharging.”
“True,” Gabriel allowed. “But the idea is still unsettling.”
“You said they’re doing this with or without our cooperation,” Zion reminded. “Why approach us at all? Why not just build the prisons? With our current limitations, it’s likely we never would have realized anything had changed.”
“Natalie has fifty-eight females with her and promises to bring many more if we…” Raphael paused as if to search for the least provoking way of labeling the arrangement. “If we agree to ignore the spy bots and to provide information on the development of our villages, we can count on a steady influx of females.”
“My brother has clearly decided to support the proposal,” Gabriel commented, shooting Raphael a sidelong glance. “I’m still undecided. The females are criminals. Natalie claims they are all nonviolent, but we have no way of confirming that.”
“I can control any female,” Zion claimed. “So can most of my cats.”
“I have no doubt that’s true, but I also worry that Natalie will make other demands,” Gabriel cautioned.
“So, we tell her no.” Zion waved away the concern. “We’re still sixty females ahead.”
